Festival de Cannes 70: Christoph Waltz, 2009

A sunny shout-out to 70 winners at the Cannes Film Festival to celebrate the 70th event which is just around the corner – in no particular order.

I, and many others I am sure, have often wondered if Christoph Waltz would have taken home an Oscar had he been in the Lead Actor category for Inglourious Basterds. I would say yes, without much doubt. The voting in Cannes is not really too concerned with this. There was the usual debates of course from the moment Waltz won Best Actor in Cannes right through to the awards season. The opening sequence of Quentin Tarantino’s InglouriousBasterds introduces us to Colonel Hans Landa, and what followings is one of the most menacing and magnetic exchanges in recent years. Tarantino’s stylized, progressive dialogue is delivered here by Christoph Waltz with genuinely tension-building charisma and terror. We are thankfully invited to experience the “Jew Hunter” many times over in the movie as his bi-lingual charm and casually astute detective work add further elements to cement Waltz’s performance as one of the best of the decade, let alone year. This masterclass in acting speaks far greater than any of my words can muster.